PUFFED UP

We thank Sen. Miriam Santiago for having such high regard for the Black and White Movement. She claims we have a direct line to God. Yes, we do speak to God through our prayers. But so far, He has not appeared to us as He did to Moses to give us specific instructions or special powers of attorney as the good senator insinuated.

We have never claimed to represent the people. As Sen. Santiago has rightfully pointed out, we have not been elected – unlike her, of course.  Neither have we projected ourselves as scholars of the law or philosophy. Many of us have not taken the Bar – unlike her, of course.

What we do have is our conscience, just as every person has, to guide us in discerning good from evil, right from wrong. We have never imposed our sense of right or wrong upon others. We do fight for what we think is right, and we expose wrongdoing whenever we see it.

It seems that the good senator mistakes our passion and zeal for arrogance. Of course, we consider her an expert on the subject. She gives new meaning to the words “puffed up”.  Clearly, she deems the unelected and the unlettered in the law to be lesser mortals.

We are proud that some of our erstwhile conveners are now members of the Aquino administration. They continue to fight for what we believe in – honesty, good governance, and positive change.  We believe in President Aquino’s vision of "daang matuwid", and we support him in his fight for accountability and closure.

There will be those that may not agree with our positions. We respect their right to express their opinions, just as we expect them to respect ours. Such are the ways of democracy. Let the marketplace of political ideas be the ground on which to win the hearts and minds of the people.

We celebrate with the rest of the nation the acceptance of Sen. Santiago to the International Criminal Court. Of course, we have different reasons for celebrating. We think the ICC will be a new arena where the good senator can showcase her mastery of the law and her eloquence – peculiarities, affectations and all. It can only be good for the country.

The Black and White Movement wishes her Godspeed and goodbye!